How to Pick an Electricity Plan in Dallas

Dallas sits inside Texas’s deregulated electricity market, which splits your service between two companies. A retail electric provider (REP) sells you a plan, sets your price, and sends the bill — Dallas has dozens of them selling well over a hundred plans. A transmission and distribution utility (TDU) — Oncor, for most of Dallas — owns the poles, wires, and meters, delivers the power, and restores it after storms. You choose the retailer; you don’t choose Oncor, and no retailer delivers “better” electricity. Longtime residents put it bluntly: you’re really shopping for a billing company, because the electrons come out of the same wires as your neighbor’s.

Two practical consequences:

• Outages aren’t your retailer’s fault — or theirs to fix. Report them to Oncor, the one who bills you.
• Oncor’s delivery charges are added to every bill. They’re a regulated pass-through — a per-kWh charge plus a monthly metering fee — identical across retailers. Plans compete only on the energy price and fees stacked on top.

If you’re arriving from a state where one regulated utility handled all of this, the adjustment is part of the bigger picture in our guide to moving to Dallas from a blue state.

The Electricity Facts Label is the plan’s legally required fact sheet — a nutrition label, one per plan, in a standard format. Dallas residents who’ve been through a few contract cycles hand newcomers the same advice: skip the marketing page and read the EFL, because it’s the only document that has to tell you the truth.

Five things to check, in order:

1. Average price at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kWh. These figures include base fees and Oncor’s delivery charges, making them far more accurate than any headline rate. Compare at the tier closest to your usage — an apartment lives in the 500 and 1,000 kWh columns, not the 2,000.
2. Rate type. Fixed, variable, or indexed — more below.
3. Base and minimum-usage fees. A $9.95 monthly fee barely registers in a big house but meaningfully raises the effective rate in a studio.
4. Contract term and early termination fee (ETF). Flat ETFs can run a few hundred dollars; some plans charge per month remaining.
5. Renewable content. The EFL states the percentage, so a “100% green” claim is verifiable.

That’s ninety seconds per plan once you know where to look. Fastest red flag: three average prices that differ wildly, which means the real cost depends on hitting an exact usage number — the gimmick structures below.

Because the advertised rate assumed you’d use exactly 1,000 kWh — and you didn’t. Texas’s most common billing shock comes in flavors:

• Bill-credit plans. A $100+ monthly credit only applies if you use at least 1,000 kWh — so at exactly 1,000 kWh, the plan looks cheapest on the board by design, since comparison tools sort by that number. Use 850 kWh in a mild October, and the credit vanishes: a plan advertised near 11 cents can average closer to 15. Residents who were burned this way describe big bills in the exact months they barely used power.
• Teaser sort-toppers. Some plans exist primarily to win the default sort at a single point of use. If a rate looks too good next to everything else, check the other two EFL tiers before celebrating.
• Free nights and weekends. The free window is real; the other hours are priced to pay for it. Unless you can shift most usage — EV charging overnight, laundry after 8 p.m., a warm house all afternoon — you’ll likely pay more because daytime air conditioning accounts for most of a Dallas summer bill.
• Variable and indexed rates. These float with the market, and the market can be volatile: during the February 2021 winter storm, customers on wholesale-indexed plans received bills in the thousands, while fixed-rate customers were insulated. Locals still bring it up — know your plan before the weather tests it.

Star ratings matter less than plan structure — use them to spot billing disputes and pushy door-to-door sales, nothing more.

Because the advertised rate assumed you’d use exactly 1,000 kWh — and you didn’t. Texas’s most common billing shock comes in flavors:

• Bill-credit plans. A $100+ monthly credit only applies if you use at least 1,000 kWh — so at exactly 1,000 kWh, the plan looks cheapest on the board by design, since comparison tools sort by that number. Use 850 kWh in a mild October, and the credit vanishes: a plan advertised near 11 cents can average closer to 15. Residents who were burned this way describe big bills in the exact months they barely used power.
• Teaser sort-toppers. Some plans exist primarily to win the default sort at a single usage point. If a rate looks too good next to everything else, check the other two EFL tiers before celebrating.
• Free nights and weekends. The free window is real; the other hours are priced to pay for it. Unless you can shift most usage — EV charging overnight, laundry after 8 p.m., a warm house all afternoon — you’ll likely pay more because daytime air conditioning accounts for most of a Dallas summer bill.
• Variable and indexed rates. These float with the market, and the market can be volatile: during the February 2021 winter storm, customers on wholesale-indexed plans received bills in the thousands, while fixed-rate customers were insulated. Locals still bring it up — know your plan before the weather tests it.

Star ratings matter less than plan structure — use them to spot billing disputes and pushy door-to-door sales, nothing more.

Dallas residents who’ve cycled through several contracts converge on the same answer: the lowest fixed price per kWh at your usage tier, on a term you can commit to, no credit or free-window gymnastics. The menu, honestly labeled:

• Fixed-rate: One locked energy price per kWh for the entire term. This plan suits almost everyone, especially first-time Texas shoppers. The main risk is an early termination fee (ETF) if you cancel early, though it is usually waived with proof of a move.
• Variable-rate: The retailer resets the rate monthly. It is only suitable for short gaps between leases. The main risk is that rates can jump sharply without any lock-in protection.
• Indexed: The price is tied to a wholesale-market formula. This suits risk-tolerant market watchers. The main risk is that extreme weather can produce catastrophic bills.
• Bill-credit: A credit applies only above a usage threshold (often 1,000 kWh). It suits homes clearing the threshold every single month. The main risk is that a single low-usage month wipes out the “cheap” rate.
• Free nights/weekends: Features a free window but higher rates for all other hours. This suits night-shift use, such as EV charging or late shifts. The main risk is that daytime AC — most of a Dallas bill — costs more.
• Prepaid: A pay-as-you-go system with no deposit or credit check. It suits newcomers avoiding deposits or those with thin credit files. The main risks include a higher per-kWh cost and automatic disconnection with a zero balance.

Rather outsource it? Flat-fee plan-management services will watch the market and switch you automatically. With the EFL skills above, though, the job takes one evening a year.

History beats guessing: pull twelve months of usage from your current provider’s dashboard before you shop. Nothing to pull? Estimate from housing type:

• Studio or one-bedroom apartment: often 500–900 kWh in summer. One local benchmark: an older one-bedroom with AC set to 72 uses around 800 kWh in May and closer to 600 in winter.
• Two-bedroom apartment or small townhome: roughly 900–1,300 kWh in peak months.
• Single-family house: 1,500–2,500+ kWh in summer; many Dallas houses clear 2,000 kWh in August.

Respect the August number: air conditioning can push a July–August bill to two or three times April’s in the same home. So check the EFL average price at the tier you’ll hit in August, and the one you’ll hit in October — a plan that’s brilliant at 2,000 kWh and ugly at 1,000 punishes you through six mild months a year.

Two more rules Dallas veterans swear by: match your contract length to your lease — a 12-month plan for a 12-month lease — and avoid contracts expiring in July or August, since renewal pricing is friendlier in spring and fall when North Texas wind generation softens the market. Renters can fold all of this into our apartment walkthrough checklist before you rent — HVAC age and window quality move your usage more than any plan choice.

Electricity is the one setup task that can’t wait for the truck — and the fastest to finish when handled early. If the move itself is still taking shape, start with our full guide to moving to Dallas in 2025; once you’re close, run this list:

1. 10–14 days out: pull your usage history, compare EFLs at your tier, and enroll. Set the start date for the day before move-in, so the AC is running when the boxes arrive.
2. Have your details ready: exact service address with unit number, start date, ID and Social Security or taxpayer number, and a payment method.
3. Expect a soft credit check. Strong credit usually means no deposit; thinner credit may mean one — often $100–$200, refundable after a stretch of on-time payments. Prepaid plans sidestep deposits entirely.
4. Leaving another Texas address mid-contract? Don’t pay the early termination fee by default: Texas law requires your old retailer to waive the ETF upon proof of a move, such as a lease or closing documents. Or ask about transferring a plan you like.
5. Cutting it close? Same-day connection is possible because Oncor activates smart meters remotely: place an order weekday morning, and power can be on within hours. But cutoffs land by afternoon or early evening; Sundays and holidays generally don’t count, and an address still in someone else’s name takes one to three days. Same-day is the fire escape, not the front door.
6. The day before: confirm your start date by email — and if the lights are dead on arrival, check the breaker panel before you panic. Movers have “diagnosed” more than one outage that was a tripped main.
7. Buying rather than renting? The week you sort out power is the right week to price coverage — our breakdown of DFW home insurance costs in hail country explains why quotes here surprise newcomers.

Is Power to Choose the official site for Dallas?

Yes — the Public Utility Commission of Texas runs powertochoose.org, and every certified retailer can list plans there. Several commercial comparison sites operate under near-identical names and earn commissions on sign-ups. They can be useful filters, but the incentive differs — which is why the EFL, identical wherever a plan is sold, is your equalizer.

How fast can I get power turned on in Dallas?

Often same-day: a weekday order placed before a retailer’s cutoff — typically afternoon to early evening — can have lights on within hours via a remote smart-meter connection. A switch at an address still under another name takes one to three days. Enroll one to two weeks out anyway and make move-in day boring.

Do I have to pay an early termination fee if I’m moving?

No — Texas consumer rules require retailers to waive the ETF when you cancel because you’re moving and provide proof, such as a new lease or closing paperwork. It applies only when you break a contract while staying put, so never let a move-related ETF slide.

How many kWh does a Dallas apartment use?

Most studios and one-bedroom units use between 500 and 900 kWh in summer with steady AC use, and less in winter. That makes the 500- and 1,000-kWh columns of the EFL your columns — a rate advertised at 2,000 kWh describes a house, not your apartment.

Is Power to Choose the official site for Dallas?

Yes — the Public Utility Commission of Texas runs powertochoose.org, and every certified retailer can list plans there. Several commercial comparison sites operate under near-identical names and earn commissions on sign-ups. They can be useful filters, but the incentive differs — which is why the EFL, identical wherever a plan is sold, is your equalizer.

How fast can I get power turned on in Dallas?

Often same-day: a weekday order placed before a retailer’s cutoff — typically afternoon to early evening — can have lights on within hours via a remote smart-meter connection. A switch at an address still under another name takes one to three days. Enroll one to two weeks out anyway and make move-in day boring.

Do I have to pay an early termination fee if I’m moving?

No — Texas consumer rules require retailers to waive the ETF when you cancel because you’re moving and show proof, like a new lease or closing paperwork. It applies only when you break a contract while staying put, so never let a move-related ETF slide.

How many kWh does a Dallas apartment use?

Most studios and one-bedroom units use between 500 and 900 kWh in summer with steady AC use, and less in winter. That makes the 500- and 1,000-kWh columns of the EFL your columns — a rate advertised at 2,000 kWh describes a house, not your apartment.

Picking the plan is your job; moving everything you own in one piece is ours. Element Moving & Storage crews know what move-in day looks like when utilities are ordered ten days early — cold air, working lights, zero drama. For the part of the move that doesn’t fit in a browser tab, our Dallas local moving team is ready when you are.

Here’s the irony of going car-free: the move itself is the one journey that absolutely requires a truck. Element Moving & Storage handles Downtown high-rises, Uptown mid-rises, and every tight loading dock in between — we’ll get your life into the walkable 5 percent so you can leave the driving to us permanently. With a 4.7-star rating across roughly 1,000 Google reviews, our Dallas local moving team makes the last drive you take the easiest one. Get your free quote today.